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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Key recommendations for closing Rikers Island
0:13:05
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95 sec
Lippman outlines several key recommendations from the commission's report for closing Rikers Island. These recommendations focus on accelerating the process and addressing underlying issues contributing to incarceration.
- Speeding up the construction of new local jails by at least a year, potentially more.
- Reducing the jail population by addressing case delays, referencing the OCA (Office of Court Administration) plan.
- Creating 500 or more psychiatric forensic beds outside of the jail system.
- Investing in mental health and addiction treatment, as well as supportive services for communities surrounding the new jails.
- Setting a firm deadline of August 2027 for closing Rikers, with extensions only considered if significant progress is demonstrated.
Jonathan Lippman
0:13:05
What is needed and it set out in the report includes speeding up the construction of the jails by at least a year and more if we can get it.
0:13:17
Reducing the population by attacking case delay and the OCA plan which is mentioned before is really getting to the nitty gritty of all this.
0:13:28
Creating 500 or more psychiatric forensic beds outside outside the jails.
0:13:37
Investing in treating mental health and addiction and in support supportive services for communities and neighborhoods particularly those surrounding the jails and particularly the new jails.
0:13:52
Without these steps and more, the statutory deadline of August 2027 to close Rikers should not be legally extended.
0:14:05
Only when the required commitment and action is demonstrated along the lines that we have laid out and recommended at least in our opinion should an extension be considered or granted.
0:14:19
Now is the time for strong leadership by all present and future office holders in this city to close Reich's as soon as humanly possible.
0:14:36
Our blueprint I believe lays out the path to get this done.